As the UK gears up for this season’s kick off of men’s fashion weeks with
London Collections: Men,
FashionUnited takes a moment to examine the current state of the menswear
market in the UK to see how it has grown and evolved over the years. Below
we have compiled a list with the main facts and figures on menswear in the
UK as well as LC:M.
This season of LC:M follows on from its growth in June 2015, when the
fashion week was expanded from three to four days. Running from June 10 to
13, LC:M will see 32 catwalk shows and 25 presentations take places on
schedule. 55 designers will show their work in the Designer Showrooms,
together with 5 digital presentations and 21 brand hosting events. New
additions to the Designer showroom include INSTRMNT, Leathersmith of
London, LU+MEI, Orange Culture, Sørensen and Taylor Morris.
However, unlike previous seasons, LC:M will be housed under a single roof
at 180 Strand. The venue will house the main BFC Catwalk Show Space on the
ground floor for the second season and the BFC Presentation Space and
Designer Showrooms on the first floor. 26 central London venues will also
play host to catwalk shows and presentations around the central hub at 180
Strand.
Highlights from the LC:M schedule are set to include the debut showing of
MCM, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro, Song Zio and Ximon Lee, who will be presented
by GQ China. Actor Throup is also set to return to show on schedule at LC:M
following a four year absence after the initial menswear fashion week.
LC:M, together with its organiser the British Fashion Council is also set
to honour the 40th anniversary of Punk in the UK, through a series of
events, gigs, talks and exhibitions.
During the month of June FashionUnited will focus on Menswear. For all reads on Menswear, click .
LC:M will also see designers rethink their current catwalk showcase format
and stage new shows which aim to fit their strategy, whilst breaking away
from traditional fashion show concepts. This season at LC:M Sibling will
become one of the first UK labels to present womenswear alongside of
menswear at London Collections: Men. The British fashion label will
showcase its Spring/Summer 2017 menswear and womenswear together, and miss
out on hosting a separate womenswear show during fashion week in September.
Although numerous brands and designers have been announcing new fashion
week formats and brand concepts, it has done little to affect the growing
appetite for menswear. The global menswear market has been growing over the
years, spurred by a new generation of men with a deep understanding and
appreciation of fashion. In 2014, menswear accounted for 298 billion pounds
worth of sales globally. The global menswear market is predicted to grow
another 9 percent over the next few year and generated an additional 27
billion pounds worth of sales, hitting 325 billion pounds in 2019,
according to Euromonitor.
Over the past five years the menswear markets in the UK has grown 20.5
percent, up from 11.7 billion pounds in 2011 to 14.1 billion pounds in
2015, based on information from Mintel. The menswear market grew by 4.1
percent in 2015 alone, which is more than its female counterpart,
womenswear, which only grew 3.7 percent in the same period. However, in
spite of this rapid growth, the menswear market only accounts for 26
percent of the total fashion market, which is estimated to be worth some
54.2 billion pounds in 2015.
The UK menswear market is predicted to grow by 22.5 percent between 2015
and 2020 to hit 17.3 billion pounds. In 2014, the direct value of the UK
fashion industry to the UK economy was 26 billion pounds. However, the
fashion industry’s wider contribution to the economy in influencing
spending in other industries is estimated to sit at over 46 billion pounds
according to the Oxford Economics 2014.
As consumers shopping habits around the world shift towards multichannel
retailing, it comes as little surprise that a 17.4 percent growth in online
sales of menswear was recorded between 2010 and 2015. This growth outpaced
all other categories, as IbisWorld predicts online menswear will grow with
an annual average of 14.2 percent between 2015 and 2020.
59 percent of all men have purchased clothing online over the past 12
months according to Mintel, which also reported a 65 percent in the
proportion of men shopping for fashion online in 2014. However, 27 percent
of male shoppers have also shown a preference for purchasing British
clothing, shoes and accessories, which highlights the ongoing appeal of the
UK menswear market and of London Collections:Men.
Photos: British Fashion Council, London Collection: Men, Facebook